Skylight Repair & New Install Blog (Toronto)

Skylights Unlimited is Toronto's most experienced skylight company specializing in skylight repair, installation & replacement serving Greater Toronto Area (GTA) since 1988. Our skylight expertise is well known by prominent magazines that have featured our products and expertise in their publications.

Do it once. Do it right. There is nothing too special to see here…at first, but really even the simplest jobs require very detailed attention. We wanted to show a sort of more in-depth picture gallery from start to finish what a typical RE and RE (Remove and Replace) of a Velux Deck mount skylight looks like. The existing skylight was about 30 Year...

Skylight Repair & Replacement Specialists Understanding which skylight is best suited for your application is extremely important. In this series of pictures, you will see the result of when the previous contractor used a SELF FLASHING skylight (Meant ONLY for shingled roof applications) on a flat roof. This resulted in the homeowner covering t...

The average person spends more than two thirds of their time indoors in a typical week. With that much time spent inside, we should care about the quality of the air we breathe in our homes. The average person spends more than two thirds of their time indoors in a typical week. With that much time spent inside, we should care about the qualit...

1) Roof Windows Roof windows are perfect for upper floor bonus rooms where they will be within reach for easy opening. 2) Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylights The Solar Powered "Fresh Air" Skylight features a solar panel that charges an internal battery and control system. The skylight is remote controlled and solar powered, which means it requires ...

BONUS ROOM Choose VELUX roof windows or manual "Fresh Air" skylights for rooms where the skylight will be within arm's reach. Transform your bonus room from windowless storage to a home office or children's playroom with the addition of daylight. In addition to providing daylight and fresh air, VELUX roof windows qualify under building codes as a p...

Actually they are not skylights at all, they are a combination of a skylight and a window so they're on the roof and also leaning on a brick wall. This client was having some leaking problems with these units, but we are not able to rebuild new ones. Unfortunately, we just said thanks, but no thanks

Fifth wall design tip #1 Skylights open the fifth wall to the outdoors, by providing a view of blue skies, starry nights, passing storms or treetops swaying in the breeze. They bathe the room in natural light, revealing true colors and textures. Plus, skylights can open to enliven the space with fresh air, and, with blinds, now available in m...

Fifth wall design tip #1 Skylights open the fifth wall to the outdoors, by providing a view of blue skies, starry nights, passing storms or treetops swaying in the breeze. They bathe the room in natural light, revealing true colors and textures. Plus, skylights can open to enliven the space with fresh air, and, with blinds, now available in more th...

This skylight has a lot of condensation forming on the underside of the interior pane of glass. Because it's in a bathroom, the high level of humidity in the air (from showering), causes an excessive amount of condensation to form, during cold weather. The colder the winter temperatures outside, and the higher the humidity level inside, the more condensation will form. IN Fact, the condensation was so much that it would occasionally drip down onto the drywall below and it has caused the paint to bubble.

This is an example of a skylight drainage system working properly. This Velux curb mounted glass skylight’s condensation drainage system is allowing any condensation that forms on the inside of the glass, to drain properly to the exterior. In cold weather, this continuous slow drainage of condensation, forms like an icicle.

Theres so much condensation on the inside of this skylight that you can clearly see if from outside. Eventually , all this condensation drips down into the gutters, drains down to the low end of the skylight, and is discharged to the outside.

This is something that we see quite often. The homeowner got his roofer to upgrade his vents at the same time as he was re-roofing the house. The roofer installed the large 14" turbine vent. Unfortunately, he put it on top of the old small hole (for the old passive vent that was there before), rather than cutting the hole to the size of the new vent. As you can imagine even though the new vent is much larger, it still doesn’tt draw much air as it has to draw through a small hole.

When installing new, more efficient venting systems, the hole in the plywood has to be cut to match the size of the new vent, for the new vent to be effective.

This is an example of the right kind of duct work to use for bathroom exhaust fan systems. The duct work is an insulated pipe with an aluminum exterior skin.

This allows for the hot air from the bathroom to go thru the pipe and to be exhausted to the exterior without putting any heat or humidity in the attic space…….that would cause a lot of mold. Notice that the piping is well sealed to the fan with tuck tape as well as sealed to the direct connect roof trap.

It’s also important to use the right roof exhaust trap (vent) on the exterior. Most common exhaust traps have a very low profile. We prefer to use the Ventilation Maximum trap that rises 8 inches above the roof. This keeps it out of the snow in the winter. Also, the Ventilation Maximum vents also has an anti-reverse damper that allows the hot moist air to be exhausted to the outside, without allowing cold winter winds to blow inside. So, a properly designed bathroom exhaust system gets rid of all the host moist air in the house directly to the outside, without allowing any hot, moist air into the attic.

VELUX is known for their design, engineering, quality and durability of skylight products and accessories. Here is an overview of their skylight products at a glance to help you make the right decision.

Solar Powered Venting Skylights

The Solar Powered Skylight (available for both deck and curb mount installations) features a solar panel that captures available daylight and uses it to recharge a highly efficient, fully concealed battery powered operator and control system. This operator is the power source that opens and closes the skylight, negating the need for electrical wiring during installation.

The Solar Powered Venting Skylight features a solar panel that captures any available daylight and uses it to recharge a highly efficient, fully concealed battery powered operator and control system. The battery powered operator is the power source that opens and closes the skylight. A rain sensor is built in to close the unit in the event that inclement weather arises while you're away.

The perfect daylighting solution for overhead applications, Velux Solar Powered Skylights feature a solar panel that captures available daylight and uses it to recharge a battery powered operator and control system. It brings in abundant natural light and fresh air and installs as easily as a non-opening skylight as no wiring is required. Spring is in the air -- call us and we'll let the sun shine in your home today. www.skylightsunlimited.ca

There are several reasons a skylight might begin to leak. Most often, the cause of a leak is sealant that has failed or condensation build-up that occurs around the skylight, which often happens when there's an excess of melting snow or ice on the roof. If you have a skylight that begins to leak after a rain or wind storm, shingles around the structure may be clogged with dirt, dead leaves and other debris that prevent rain or melting snow from running off the roof as they should. Leaking can also occur when there are problems in other areas of the roof, and the leak eventually makes its way to the skylight.

Our experienced repair personnel will inspect your unit and your roof carefully to determine the source of the leak and ensure that no unnecessary repairs are made. Contrary to what you may think, skylight leak repair isn't always as costly and our crew will ensure that any repairs will be performed in way that least interfere with your home and its roof.

Skylight Replacement

If you have an older skylight, leaking might be an indication that it's time to replace it. Another sign that you will need to replace your unit is if condensation and other moisture has leaked into the interior of the glass and stained it, causing some areas to have a milky appearance.

There are many considerations to be made when incorporating skylights into your home’s design. There are some as simple as where to locate the skylight to maximize the most natural light during the day, and some as complex as to which u-factor and solar heat gain coefficient ratings would be the most energy efficient in the climate you live. But have you ever considered the impact a VELUX skylight would have on your health and well-being?

The importance of daylight to many living organisms is paramount. Daylight is responsible for regulating many biological systems that allow us to function properly. It impacts our production of Vitamin D (which is important for calcium absorption), regulation of our circadian biological clocks, and even its impact on gene expression.

Now you may be wondering how much of an impact VELUX skylights can have on these biological functions. The answer is tremendous - most Canadians spend approximately 90% of their time indoors! Being indoors for such a lengthy period of time exposes our bodies to a higher concentration of pollutants; about 2 to 5 times more than if we were standing right outside of our home or office.

We were very pleased with Dave Flook from Skylights Unlimited; he has years of experience and specializes in sunrooms and solariums. Our sunroom was showing signs of structural weakness and we had numerous quotes and opinions. Dave proposed a practical and affordable solution that was just what we were looking for, preserving the warmth and elegance of the rest of the interior. It involved replacing the row of existing skylights, re-building the back wall and installing new energy efficient windows . Mike and Josh were pros - they were very skilled and had great work ethic working long days and even weekends. Dave was a stickler for detail and quality control which we were very impressed with. Loved the results and would definitely recommend! Roxanne

I can't believe the difference more light makes in a house. I visited a friend on the weekend who lives in an older home and had just finished a major renovation. The transformation is unbelievable. Her house faces north and it was always quite dark, so she added several skylights and a modest size sunroom at the back of the house. The addition not only increased the living space of the house, but made the house more appealing - and cost a lot less than building a new room. She explained that a reputable installer can pretty well design and build according to your budget - the trick is hiring a company who has experience and creativity, and make every job a work of art. They ensured that the sunroom was positioned the right way so that the view was perfect and a very attractive focal point. Also most importantly, the installation was done right (guaranteed to not have any leaks and climate-controlled also).

Her emotions were immense pleasure and joy! Now it's her favorite room in the house, whether spending mornings enjoying her coffee there or having a very relaxing nap in her sunroom.

This is the damage from an old dome skylight on the stairway railing in a house located in Stouffville. Dome skylights give very little UV protection (UV is what fades things). Most dome skylights are made of 2 layers of acrylic in the shape of a dome. They are usually sealed one to the other with neoprene gaskets or butyl tape. Unfortunately, they cannot be sealed tight enough to create a vacuum in the same way as 2 layers of flat glass can be sealed. Because they cannot be perfectly sealed, argon gas cannot be injected between the 2 domes. It's the argon gas that is injected between the 2 layers of flat glass skylights that gives the higher level of UV protection. Besides causing fading damage, domes also tend to create a lot of heat in the summer.

High quality, energy efficient skylights are an important part of building today's green friendly homes and buildings. The effect that natural light has on you physically, emotionally and psychologically is well documented. The benefits of natural light can have a profound impact on you personally, while the stewardship of VELUX and SKYLIGHTS UNLIMITED will positively affect our environment for future generations. That is why we are proud to be the FIRST CERTIFIED VELUX INSTALLERS of quality skylights. Installing the most modern technologies to make your home the most energy efficient is a top priority. To reap the green benefits associated with top lighting, it is essential to minimize the heat gain associated with UV penetration, while preserving the conditioned air inside your home. To accomplish these goals, VELUX has incorporated argon gas between the insulated panes of all their glass products and use low emissivity coatings (Low-E) to make their products some of the most energy efficient in the industry.